Questions tagged [beta-readers]
A kind of unpaid editor.
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Paid beta seems to have skipped large portions of my manuscript
I feel terrible for having to lay this out there, but I'm a little frustrated following use of a beta reader service.
I received a beta report on time this past weekend, but didn't receive my full ...
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How harsh is too harsh when beta reviewing?
I was recently sent a document to beta review, so I transferred it to Google Docs and started making suggestions. Once I'm through the four pages, there's about thirty miscellaneous spelling/minor ...
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How should I format chapters in my manuscript?
I'm in my final stages of editing before I send my manuscript to beta readers. I'm wondering how I should format chapter titles. Do I put them as a header, or as a slightly larger, bolder font?
(This ...
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What exactly is a beta reader list?
Beta readers.
I am asking this question for others benefit, because I feel it is an important part of writing.
Everyone in their writing career at some point has heard the term, beta readers.
But what ...
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What order do I start seeking editors
I have completed writing my first novel. What order should I start putting it in front of editors (copy, development, structural, etc.) before submitting it to an agent or publisher?
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When should I bring in beta readers? [duplicate]
I just finished my first draft and I am new to writing. I'm currently researching how to self-edit a novel and came across beta readers. When should I bring in beta readers? After second draft and ...
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How to stick to your vision when you’re highly suggestible?
As a person, I'm a bit of a people-pleaser. I tend to bend over backward to avoid conflict and make people happy. I've reached the point in my writing process where I've started to send out drafts of ...
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At what point in my story should I get beta readers?
I'm writing a book right now. I want to get beta readers for it, but at what point in the story should I get beta readers?
Should I get them early?
In the middle?
Near the end?
After the book?
I'...
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Should Writers Pay Their Beta-Readers or Get Them For Free?
I was wondering if paying for beta-readers is a thing. I have found it very difficult to find free beta-readers who were willing to read Christian books, my genre, and to read them objectively while ...
user42900
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Where can I find a beta reader for grammatical issues?
I’m looking forward to finding a beta reader to help getting me past my grammatical inaccuracies during my attempts at writing short stories.
I’m not a native English speaker, so I found myself ...
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How to maximize reader comprehension if worldbuilding is complicated?
Parts of my worldbuilding are critical to the plot. If readers don't understand the world, they won't understand the stakes for the protagonist and the failure conditions.
Edit. Please don't assume ...
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What questions to survey readers?
Is there any guideline or sample on how to survey readers? My blog is non-fiction, self-help yet academic style, which require some knowledge on philosophy and psychology. I'm unable to find any such ...
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How do I get beta readers? [duplicate]
I wouldn't feel comfortable asking friends and family to read my work and getting their feedback. And I don't have an online platform to ask strangers.
What are my other options?
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Sci-fi change: Too much or Not enough
I am in the process of editing a short story. It is science fiction of the "if this goes on" kind: I take a social trend I see, and paint its event horizon - a troubling future. 1984 and Fahrenheit ...
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How can I become better at formulating my feedback when critiquing a writer's work as beta reader?
As a beta reader, I sometimes find myself frustrated at trying to find the right words and how to properly structure my sentences when I give a critique or just simple feedback. How can I work on ...
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Does every chapter have to "blow the reader away" so to speak?
I amended some of my chapters so that they're more intriguing and engaging for my readers. But there's one particular chapter in which one of my beta-readers stated, "It's intriguing, but it doesn't ...
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Helping my beta readers help me
My beta readers are family and friends - people who read a lot, but do not write. They are people whose opinion I trust, and who are genuinely trying to be helpful. (And I haven't found a writing ...
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Should I show the plot to my beta reader?
My wife is the first one who reads my writings, and I'd like to keep her in the dark until I have a solid draft to show her. But I need a second set of eyes with my plot too. If I showed her my plot ...
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How do we write a good feedback as a beta-reader? [closed]
If someone asks me to be a beta-reviewer for a book and I had to write a feedback for it, how should I organize the text, what do I need to do to not offend the author and give constructive feedback ...
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Should beta-readers have genre experience?
In this comments of How many elements can you focus on during worldbuilding? a conversation arose about the usefulness of non-genre savvy beta-readers.
Another question Are "non-readers" ...
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What sort of details do potential short story beta readers need?
I am considering uploading a trio of related short stories to Dropbox as a quick way to share them with potential beta readers. Before I actually link them elsewhere, I feel I should have at least ...
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Incorporating new people into a critique group
I belong to a terrific critique group (writing group) that has dealt with a lot of attrition. We started with 6 people and currently have 4, one who joined after the first month or two. We also had ...
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I'm afraid of quashing the hopes of a new writer
I recently agreed to read a new writer's novel and provide feedback. During casual discussion, I learned her mindset is currently in a state of "this novel is basically finished". I've never met ...
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Do I need to 'formalize' someone as a beta reader?
I've been writing fan fiction for several years. It's been a great platform to build my writing skills, and I feel ready to publish soon. The website I've been posting my fan fiction on is in fact a ...
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How can someone become a beta reader?
We have several questions on beta readers, including this one on how writers can find beta readers. How does it work from the other side? How can a non-beta reader make the "jump" and start beta ...
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Are "non-readers" useful beta readers?
In my opinion, the best beta readers are fellow writers, partly because they may have insight others don't, but partly also because you can agree to trade beta-reading responsibilities. (This is far ...
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How do you do "beta reading" for a game before the game is ready?
Say I want to work on a game and, since I'm not very good at creating games yet, I want to work on the story first and foremost. Before I even want to commit to creating the game, I want to do get "...
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Finding beta-readers for science | religion non-fiction
My question is similar to one asked previously. I'm writing non-fiction, topics on the intersection between science and religion--quantum mechanics, cosmology, evolution. I've published ebooks on ...
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What things should one highlight as good in beta reading feedback?
When I read people's manuscripts to provide feedback, I can easily identify areas worth improving. However, feedback isn't all that helpful if it makes the writer give up, so good news needs to be ...
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Approaches to finding critique group for creative nonfiction
How does one go about finding and joining a critique group for nonfiction?
I'm writing two different non-fiction books:
A collection of pieces written by a relative, collected and edited by me. ...
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Where would I find a Critique Partner or Group?
Programmers often collaborate over code by using pastebin. They drop sections of code for others to read and assist in improving or removing errors. Does anyone know if a similar app exists for ...
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How to prepare a manuscript for submission?
When my book is ready to give to some volunteer readers/reviewers:
Suppose some of the reviewers want a hard copy. What's the best way to prepare the hard copy for them? Is this the same as the ...
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How can I respond to praise without appearing egotistical?
Background
Alright, so my friends and English teacher recently found out that I've written novels, and asked to read them. So, I gave them out because I have plenty of self-confidence and really ...
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Looking for informed people to evaluate a creative writing project about psychiatry
I am a beginning writer. I would like to write a science fiction / fantasy book that is critical of psychiatry, including diagnosis inflation, the influence of Big Pharma, and the field's de-emphasis ...
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Where to find beta readers? [duplicate]
Since I left my writer's group out of personality issues, invariably somebody becomes a know-it-all, it's been a real struggle to find people willing to invest time.
The friends/acquaintances I have ...
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Can I improve my beta reading skills to aid a close person's writings?
Finding beta readers were suggested to get unbiased feedback for a writer.
Can one work on oneself to be able to give a more unbiased feedback to a close relative, friend, wife/husband, etc.? Can one ...
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Press Kit proof-read in exchange for an app license?
I would like to find someone who would proof-read a Press Kit of an Mac OS X app in exchange for a license. Do you know any website / service where I could find some English native speaker, ideally ...
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What's a good resource to find Beta Readers for short stories?
I'm currently in the market for beta readers, particularly for short stories. I've finished an early draft for a contest, and I'm hoping to hear some feedback. I'm open to reading the work of others ...
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Where is a good place to find beta readers?
Beta readers are important to perfecting a novel/novella/short story. They give you a fresh set of eyes, offer opinions, and can be a great moral boost. But where can you find good beta readers? Are ...
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